Leia rolled her eyes as if she was talking to a stupid person. "You need to get something straight, okay? I'm fearless, so I don't need protection. Plus, I wouldn't have come in if I thought I was in danger. I'm here to sincerely negotiate with you." Shirley met her agent's eyes cautiously and said, "Fine. Let's talk in the inner room." She waved at her fans and smiled at them. "Go ahead and enjoy yourselves. I'll settle this and come out right away."Shirley's fans immediately stopped her, looking concerned. "No, this woman is cunning. You'll be bullied if you go with her.""You don't have to be polite with such a shameless woman. We'll make her get down on her knees and say sorry to you first!"Shirley's agent tried to mediate the situation. "Calm down, Shirley will be fine. Just let them talk privately. We can always get revenge for her if anything happens." The fans let it go since it made sense.The private room was big, with a small inner room of around eight or night squ
"How dare you!" Shirley did not expect Leia to stay unaffected, and abruptly stood up to slap her. Leia grabbed Shirley's wrist and said coldly, "Do you know what kind of relationship causes the most regret? The kind you had with Xavier. Did he love you? Yes, he loved you so much that he doted on you without any boundaries. He helped you get your glory, but then he had a change of heart. You must be grieving because of it, right?""You…! What is it you want? I knew you were here to make fun of me. I even thought that you had some kind of bargaining chip..." Shirley cursed angrily and tried to struggle free. Her face twisted as she threatened, "If I scream, my fans will enter the room. Then, they'll drag you out and teach you a hard lesson.""Yes, I'm aware of that. After all, fans always take after their idols!" Leia let go of Shirley's hand and continued aloofly, "Don't worry, I didn't have to come here to argue with you. I'm just here to confirm whether you still love Xavier and
"My eyes?" Shirley looked bewildered for a second, but then her expression turned smug. She stroked her cheek and said, "Yes, I'm pretty, and so are my eyes. When I made my debut, people said my eyes were as bright as the moon. But... it doesn't matter. Even if you're jealous of me, I can't give you my eyes!""I need your eyes. If you're willing to give them to me, Xavier will be yours from now on," Leia replied bluntly. However, Shirley was still confused. All she knew was that Leia seemed to be very interested in her eyes, but she definitely wasn't stupid enough to give them to Leia. "Hah! Are you kidding me?" Shirley crossed her arms and laughed mockingly. "Firstly, I won't let you have my eyes. Secondly, Xavier is mine—I don't have to give up my eyes to get him." "I know that my request is ridiculous, and of course you won't say yes… but I'm just here to remind you. If you give your eyes to me, I have ways to help you get back with Xavier. If you say no..." Leia paused, then s
Leia knew basic self-defense, but there were too many people attacking her. Amidst the chaos, Shirley's fans pulled her hair and scratched her face, and some of them even tried to tear her clothes off...Shirley watched everything from nearby with a victorious smile. Her agent became worried. "Shirley, will it be dangerous if this continues? She's the young lady of the Osborne family, after all..""Of course it's dangerous since so many people are beating her up… but it's none of my business. My fans did it, and they were so crazy that I couldn't do anything about it. Plus... didn't we leave long ago? We didn't see anything." Shirley smiled coyly, then raised her head and left the private room proudly."Ah!" Leia screamed pitifully and tried to struggle, but the fans had become more extreme after getting drunk.Meanwhile, Shirley bumped into Xavier the moment she exited the club. "Xavier..." She looked at him in surprise, then panic gripped her. If Xavier knew that she purposely
Shirley raised her head and locked eyes with Xavier, her gaze soft. "So... You've been worried about me all this time. You still care about me, don't you?""I just think it's better for you if you further your studies now." Xavier's expression was icy, with no emotion on his face whatsoever. In his mind, Shirley was a part of his past he couldn't get rid of. He has sacrificed a lot for her, and it might have been out of habit or pity that he didn't want his former girlfriend to have her eyes gouged out. Shirley was someone he used to love, and Stefan was his childhood friend—he would hate for either of those relationships to be ruined. It was best to make Shirley leave Beach City and lay low in a place where Stefan couldn't find her."I'll go if you think I should leave Beach City." Shirley was not as averse towards the option now, and for the first time, agreed with Xavier about it. She could foresee that Leia would do anything to get revenge on her after tonight, and Xavier might n
Xavier looked down at Shirley's hand and said icily, "I thought I made myself very clear. It's best not to have anything between us except business." "Why are you being so cruel? You came to me today, and it's proof that there's more between us. You care about me, so why do we have to go against our hearts and hurt each other?""That's you, not me.""Don't be stubborn. I know that you hooked up with Ms. Osborne lately out of spite, but you should know that I no longer have anything to do with your father. I—""Don't bring my father up!" Xavier instantly turned hostile and pushed Shirley away. "Are you mad? Do you think I'll let bygones be bygones and go back to you? Do you think I have no self-respect?""Xavier, don't... don't be mad!" Shirley bit her lip, regretting mentioning Xavier's father. It was his sore spot and biggest humiliation, and she could understand why. She figured he wouldn't be bothered by it if he didn't love her deeply, and his reaction only confirmed this. Em
The number of the onlookers grew, and some of them even used their phones to do live streams. In this way, Shirley's career was ruined.In a dilemma, Xavier took off his coat and draped it over Shirley. After that, he forcefully pulled her to her feet and hissed, "I don't care if you want to retire or not, just get up first.""Xavier, you like me. I can see that. You've always been in love with me..." Shirley hid under his coat, affection shining in her eyes and her voice trembling. It seemed like women had to be shameless when facing a soft-hearted man like Xavier. He could not bear to push her away, making this the most intimate moment between them after they had fallen out with each other. Many people took photos of him doting on her like what he used to do in the past, and the so-called homewrecker seemed like nothing now. "Stop making a scene. Let's get out of here." Xavier refused to talk much, and just hugged her shoulders and held her hand. He brushed past the crowd, wantin
Xavier refused to even look at the homewrecker, and went to the parking lot to get his car. Before he could open his car, he heard people talking."Hey, isn't that Ms. Leia Osborne?""Those people are too cruel. She's a rich young lady, but they stripped her bare. Are they courting death?""You're right. But they're smart. Since they're in a group, they won't be punished much.""But I don't think they're cruel. After all, nobody asked Ms. Osborne to be a homewrecker. I hate homewreckers the most!"Xavier' heart pounded in his chest and he grabbed a man nearby by the collar and demanded, "Who's the homewrecker who's being beaten up?"The man said agitatedly, "What does it have to do with you? Are you out of your mind?""I'm asking you—who is it?" Xavier was usually a calm person, but he couldn't stay calm right now. His grip on the man's collar tightened. "It's Ms. Leia Osborne! Why didn't you go and see it for yourself since you're so curious—" Xavier pushed him aside quickly,
Renee woke up early the next day. After she was done washing up, a servant arrived and asked her to head to Austin's study."Okay, I'll go now." For an unknown reason, Renee felt worried. Although the Baldwin family had let bygones be bygones and treated her as their own, she still felt inexplicably uneasy.She had witnessed Austin's wrath and knew how dangerous her current situation was. Her words or expressions might infuriate Austin. If so, she would be doomed forever. During the conversation the day before, she noticed that Austin was bothered by Quinton's background. He sounded like he wanted to eliminate that trouble. Renee understood why Austin wanted to meet her alone. He definitely wanted to criticize Quinton and make her express herself properly. While she was walking toward Austin's study, Renee wondered whether she should contact Justin. After all, she told him yesterday that they should face any issue together. However, though she was holding her phone, she c
Renee's words turned the air cold.Justin stopped walking and looked at her, his gaze ice. He demanded, "You want to end it here? What do you mean?" Renee was filled with guilt. She avoided Justin's fierce gaze and tried to make the topic less stressful. "I mean… Let's end everything here.""Hmph!" Justin snorted, unable to hide his disappointment. He found it unfair. "It's just a small thing, but you want to give up so easily. Is our relationship that fragile?""I just don't want to make things difficult for you." Renee heaved a long sigh, overwhelmed with emotions.She belonged to the dark and was fine with her gloomy side, but she didn't want to pull Justin into the darkness. She felt that ending things with him as soon as possible was the right choice.After all, she could never treat Quinton as a stranger for the sake of her happiness. If she had to choose between the two, she could only choose Quinton. She was all he had."No, I don't think so…" Justin frowned, despondent
A long sigh escaped Renee. Rather than contempt, she sympathized with Quinton deeply. "I'm his sister. I can't treat him like a stranger. All I can do is gradually help him lead a normal life and guide him to atone for his sins. I feel sad for his past."Silence filled the air. No one said anything, at a loss for words. They couldn't be callous and say as they liked. Now that Austin had learned of this, no one could be sure if his righteous and stubborn personality would make him stop Renee and Justin's marriage.After all, Austin was a very strict person. He had been honorable his whole life. He couldn't allow a wicked man's sister to be a part of his family. Justin, anxious, hurriedly echoed Renee's words. "Yes, her brother has changed a lot. Now, he's doing decent work. His pawnshop only deals with rare items instead of indecent ones. I've spent some time with him. He's a reasonable guy, not at all as wicked as the rumors make out. At most… He's just got a bad temper."Ju
When she heard such aggressive words from Justin, Sophia immediately cleared her throat to stop him from talking. However, Austin had no idea about the relationship between Renee and Water Dock. Instead of stopping, he sounded more indignant."That place is full of inhumane people, but I'm not from Beach City. If that place were here in North City, I would have gotten rid of it! It has harmed so many people…""Oh, Grandpa! Please stop talking!" Justin turned livid. He anxiously got up and tried to remedy the situation. "There are always good and bad people. You can't criticize them like they're the same." "Nonsense!" Austin had been a soldier his whole life and was deeply self-righteous. He added angrily, "I'm not joking! People related to that place better don't come to North City. If they do, I'll kill them and make them repent their sins!" Renee remained calm and indifferent. When Austin got tired from criticizing, she slowly looked up at him."Grandpa Baldwin, you're right
His words instantly made everyone upset—or at least, Renee was. Her face darkened as she recalled unpleasant memories. Sophia immediately glared at Jack and snapped, "Why did you bring that up? They're about to get married. It's a happy event for our families! Why must you talk about revenge? It's bad luck!"Everyone knew someone had deliberately targeted and framed the Everheart family back then. Even outsiders couldn't bear to recall that. As the only one who bore all the misery after her family was ruined, Renee must have been very desperate and heartbroken at that time. Ordinary people would never mention that. Unfortunately, Sophia's straightforward husband was a born comedian. He had mentioned that on purpose, infuriating her. "It's okay." Renee flexed her fingers and tried her best to appear at ease. "My heartbreaking past is gone, but I need to help my family make a comeback and avenge my parents. My brother and I have always worked hard for it, so of course I'll be glad
Since Renee and Justin had reached a consensus, their wedding date must be set. The Baldwin family sat at the dining table and kept staring at Renee, who had taken her seat. They couldn't hide their joy."You two are considered married now, so we should hold a wedding soon. It'll be bad for your reputation otherwise. It'll be a great loss for you, too," Austin said; he didn't beat around the bush as he didn't want Renee to make an excuse and turn his suggestion down.Besides, the Baldwin family assumed that she and Justin had enjoyed a great romance that afternoon. They were eager for a baby.Thus, the wedding was an urgent matter. If Renee got pregnant before she married Justin, it would shame the family. Austin didn't want to see that. "Uh…" Renee cautiously sipped some tea while everyone stared eagerly at her. She was gripped with the same anxiety she felt when interrogated. Helpless, she glanced at Justin for help.Justin immediately stood up and complained, "Grandpa, w
"You can't regret it if I go on." Justin confirmed with Renee again. He knew she was forcing herself, but he needed an answer from her. People might change their minds. For example, Renee knocked him out just now because he was rude. She even tied him up and wouldn't let him touch her at all. But it had only been a few hours. She wasn't on guard against him as she lay in bed and was letting him do whatever he wanted with her. Who knows, she might regret it later if they did sleep with each other. Then, she might hate and leave him… Justin had to get to the bottom of it and get rid of all the risks. He didn't want to be manipulative."Go on. I won't regret it!" Renee gnashed her teeth, insisting on making that breakthrough—as if she could only embrace a new life by overcoming that big obstacle.In a way, Justin was her savior, the one who helped her bid her past goodbye. "I'll keep that in mind regardless if you mean it or not. I'll assume that you're willing," Justin said.
"Have you thought it through?" Justin looked at her as she lay in bed. Though she was still wearing clothes, her curvy figure sparked endless imagination in him.Undeniably, Renee was an attractive and smart woman. Her amazing skills were merely one of her charms. Her devastatingly beautiful face and seductive figure were the reasons why so many men fell for her. People generally loved wonderful things, regardless if they were elite men or the average Joe. No one could resist Renee's charm and figure. In short, it was a physical attraction."Yes, I've thought it through." Renee looked up at Justin. He seemed like a familiar stranger to her—familiar because he had always been her soulmate and best friend who shared many interests and the same views. They dreamed of the same thing too: world peace.Justin mirrored her character. She would see herself every time she looked at him. They were a perfect match. Hence, he was a familiar stranger to her. For the first time, she realized
Renee understood Justin and frowned. She tore off the tape on his mouth and pinched his cheek. "You have five minutes to repent since you're awake. If you do a good job, I'll let you go. If not, I'll keep you tied up here."The scene just now was awkward for the two of them. Renee had to come up with a way to get rid of that. If not, she didn't know how to face him, let alone spend the rest of her life with him."Repent?" Justin took deep breaths and cleared his throat. Then, he looked into her eyes. "What do you want me to repent for?""You…"Justin's bold gaze rendered Renee helpless. She bit her lip awkwardly. "What do you think?" "Are you referring to me kissing you, or…me trying to make you mine?" Although Renee knocked him out, he remembered everything that happened before he fainted, including what he had seen."Yeah, you were rude. Shouldn't you repent?" Renee tried to make herself bolder. If not… She would seem unreasonable, especially when her dignity was violated.